Configure page cache for faster page post/updates

I’ve had to turn off page caching with serious impact on the deliveyr pf pages. However, post updating and posting new articles, when the page cache is fully populated (around 750 directories in the page enhanced directory) means that the system spins at high load for over 7 minutes and then returns to the All Posts index.

I have google searched for more in-depth discussion of W3 Total Cache disk caching and how to make it work better, the gotchas, etc. I am now stuck without some expert feedback on what options or server configuration issues might be leading to this kind of performance. The cache itself works great, serving pages <1 sec. Without it, I’m up over 2-3 seconds on the same pages using http://tools.pingdom.com (even with database caching).

If anyone has been this way before, or Frederick has ideas, they would be appreciated.

Rick